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Monstrosities
Overview Monstrosities are monsters in the strictest sense -- frightening creatures that are not ordinary, not truly natural, and almost never benign. Some are the results of magical experimentation gone awry (such as owl bears), and others , are the product-of terrible curses (including minotaurs and yuan-ti). They defy categorization, and in some sense serve as a catch-all category for creatures that don't fit into any other type. Lore Yuan-ti Yuan-ti: Snake People Ye cannot goad one of the serpent folk into Hatred or fear, or evoke in it love or friendship. They may feign such things to cozen ye, but within they are always coldly, calmly calculating. —Elminster The serpent creatures known as yuan-ti are all that remains of an ancient, decadent human empire. Ages ago their dark gods taught them profane, cannibalistic Rituals to mix their flesh with that of snakes, producing a caste-based society of hybrids in which the most snakelike are the leaders and the most humanlike are spies and agents in foreign lands. Humans Transformed The people who became yuan-ti were one of the original human civilizations. Their society built great temples of stone and forged metal into armor, tools, and Weapons. In their ceremonies they paid homage to the snake as the embodiment of the qualities they most appreciated. They developed a philosophy of separating emotion from intellectual pursuits, allowing them to focus their energy on personal advancement and expanding their territory. They believed themselves to be the most enlightened mortals in the world, and in their hubris they sought to become ever greater. The serpent gods of the Primordial world heeded the prayers of these people and hissed dark demands into their ears. The people tainted their souls by performing human sacrifices in the name of the gods, debased their flesh by cannibalizing their victims, and then performed a sorcerous ritual while writhing in pools filled with living snakes that enabled them to mix their flesh with that of serpents, becoming like the gods in body, thought, and emotion. Freed from the limitations of their human bodies, the yuan-ti used their new Abilities to conquer new lands and expand their borders. One Race, Many Forms The bodies of all yuan-ti have a mix of humanlike and snakelike parts, but the proportion varies from individual to individual. After the initial metamorphosis of the humans, their society quickly coalesced into a caste system based on how complete a person’s transformation was. The vast majority of yuan-ti fall into three categories—abominations, malisons, and purebloods—while the mutated broodguards and exceedingly rare anathemas have their place in the hierarchy as well. All yuan-ti can interbreed. Females usually lay clutches of eggs, which are stored in a Common hatchery, although live births aren’t uncommon. A mating between yuan-ti of different types almost always produces eggs that hatch into yuan-ti of the weaker parent, so most choose partners of the same type in the interest of maintaining the Strength of their personal bloodline. The yuan-ti have abandoned their humanity and consider non-serpentine humanoids to be lesser creatures, barely more civilized than Common apes. Although some purebloods are able to reproduce with humans, most are disgusted by the idea and would do so only if seduction is necessary for a pureblood to preserve a role as a confidant or Advisor in human society. The very rare offspring of such a union are always purebloods, although they may appear fully human at birth and for several years afterward. The yuan-ti know Rituals that can transform an individual into a more powerful type. The cost and time required to perform the ritual is prohibitive, and as a result most yuan-ti never get the opportunity to undergo such a transformation. Every use of the ritual must be modified to suit the individual undergoing transformation, and requires rare herbs, exotic magical substances, snakes, and one or more humans to be sacrificed and eaten as part of the procedure. Undercover Empire The human civilization that gave rise to the yuan-ti was among the richest in the mortal world. It rapidly progressed in metalworking, using keen intellect and magic to discover the secrets of making steel. Its Military shattered rival tribes and developed advanced Tactics for fighting in forests and open plains. The civilization grew into a cluster of allied city-states. Conquered neighbors were allowed to keep their leaders and culture so long as they paid tribute, swore allegiance to the victors, and incorporated their conquerors’ serpent gods into their religions. These victories sent a constant influx of food, ore, and slaves back to the home cities. The Wealth of the empire allowed the ruling elite plenty of time to focus on intellectual pursuits. These nobles turned to philosophy and prayer, offering gifts of magic and animal sacrifices to their serpent gods, paying homage to the perfection of the ophidian form. The serpent gods taught the humans how to take on aspects of the snake, but the cost of the change was high, requiring many sacrifices for each person to be transformed. Entire households of slaves in one city-state were killed and eaten to create the first yuan-ti, and once the news of how to perform these Rituals spread to other leaders, the call for slaves to fuel the process increased. As the serpent gods began to demand more and more sacrifices, the yuan-ti stepped up their raids on bordering settlements to meet this need. The physical and magical Prowess of the yuan-ti empire allowed the former humans to retain their holdings for several hundred years, until a combination of drought, attacks by enemies (including Dragons and nagas), civil war, torpor among the serpent gods, and the development of iron Weapons by the some of their conquered enemies finally loosened the yuan-ti’s hold over nearby lands. The serpent people withdrew to their fortified cities and Underground temples, ceding the rest of their territory to their former minions. The yuan-ti crawled away and hid in a matter of weeks, all but disappearing from the world. Yuan-ti structures throughout the land were torn down to celebrate liberation from the snake-bodied oppressors, and within a few generations the yuan-ti were all but forgotten by the new humanoid civilizations. For over a thousand years after their empire fell, the yuan-ti remained ensconced in their hidden strongholds, biding their time until they were ready to strike again. Today, with their numbers greatly depleted and their enemies much stronger than in ages past, the yuan-ti know they can’t resort to direct attacks in order to reclaim their rightful place in the world. Operating out of the subterranean ruins of their buildings in foreign lands, yuan-ti agents infiltrate enemy governments to discover weaknesses that their leaders can exploit. The yuan-ti look forward to the day when their empire rises again and spreads across the world like venom through the blood, as it once did. Because their population is so small, the yuan-ti are aware they are vulnerable in open warfare. Instead, their current plans assume they will never rule outwardly in human society, so they gain influence by controlling enemy rulers—and those close to them—through blackmail, drugs, magic, and the subterfuge of disguised purebloods. Gods of the Yuan-ti Yuan-ti Relics The detached, intellectual Nature of the yuan-ti doesn’t lend itself to fervent or devout worship in the manner that others revere their deities. Nonetheless, they acknowledge a wide range of supernatural and divine entities. Some of these are true deities, some are Primordial spirits as powerful as gods, and some are creatures of questionable Origin. In addition to the three primary deities discussed below, the yuan-ti worship over a dozen other “serpent gods”—lesser beings such as animal spirits, ascended heroes, divine servants of more powerful gods, and demon lords. Many of the cults devoted to these lesser gods are unique to a particular city, and followers of the three main yuan-ti deities usually consider these religious practices quaint rather than threatening. Dendar The Night Serpent came into being before recorded History, spawned from the feverish dreams of the first intelligent creatures. She subsists and grows stronger by feeding on the fears that plague the folk of the world. Her followers believe that Dendar is a harbinger of the end of things, which will come when she amasses enough power to consume the world. Another legend concerning her speaks of an iron door to the underworld behind which she lurks; when the time is right, she will tear it down, then eat the sun, plunging the world into Darkness before she finally devours it. Yuan-ti worshipers of Dendar are led by Nightmare speakers, malison warlocks that honor their deity through acts of terror and receive magical power in return. Rather than killing enemies, these followers of the Night Serpent prefer to threaten and torture them, the better to feed and strengthen the goddess. See its entry for more information on the Yuan-ti Malison Nightmare Speaker. Merrshaulk Though the Master of the Pit is not conscious, neither is he entirely dormant. Mirroring the fate of yuan-ti in the world, Merrshaulk entered a deep slumber when the serpent folk left the surface and went into Hiding in ages past. It is unclear if declining worship caused him to fall asleep, or if his prolonged torpor caused his worshipers to abandon him. Even in his compromised state, Merrshaulk grants Spells to his clergy in response to their invocations. Rousing him for advice or direct intervention is possible, but requires many ritual murders to be performed in his name, and his return to consciousness lasts only a short time. The leaders of Merrshaulk’s worshipers, called pit masters, are malison warlocks that uphold and advance the age-old yuan-ti traditions. They sense that it has become easier to wake him in recent decades, and believe this to be a sign that he will soon fully Awaken, shed his skin, and—renewed by transformation—restore the yuan-ti to their rightful place as masters of the mortal world. See its entry for more information on the Yuan-ti Malison Pit Master. Sseth In the last years before the yuan-ti empire collapsed, Sseth appeared to the serpent folk in the form of a winged yuan-ti. He promised to lead the yuan-ti away from the brink of defeat and back to the pinnacle of world domination in return for their veneration. Many of Merrshaulk’s devout turned to the worship of the Sibilant Death, believing him to be an avatar of their deity. They granted him enough power to mount a brief recovery, but those Actions were too little and too late to prevent the collapse of the empire. Sseth chose to rest and gather Strength during the years of decline, as more and more of the yuan-ti adopted his worship. His most devout followers, known as mind whisperers, use their god-given magic to emulate Sseth’s Tactics and principles. They strive to succeed by offering an alternative choice to contesting viewpoints or plans, and in so doing they exude an air of self-importance that gives them a less than savory reputation among yuan-ti that follow other gods. See its entry for more information on the Yuan-ti Malison Mind Whisperer. Serpent Gods The yuan-ti’s dispassionate attitude toward Religion is especially evident among the powerful yuan-ti that take one of the lesser serpent gods as an object of worship. The worshiper of a serpent god pays homage not out of respect or fear, but because it aspires to emulate the entity, beseeching it to reveal the Secret of transcending mortality. Then, once armed with that knowledge, the yuan-ti sets out to supplant its deity and become a new serpent god. The serpent gods don’t wish to be brought low, or to be bled of power as Merrshaulk was, so they mollify their worshipers with pronouncements that hint at what the supplicants seek. The truth is never easy to ferret out, but rarely an exceptionally clever yuan-ti succeeds in attaining divine form and vanquishing its Benefactor. This cannibalistic pressure from mortals means that the lower ranks of the serpent gods experience a change every century or so, although often it is the newest yuan-ti godling that falls prey to the next one’s ambitions. Gods of Other Worlds In worlds other than The Forgotten Realms, yuan-ti make pacts with deities of the Pantheons presented in appendix B of the Player’s Handbook. The following are suggested yuan-ti deities for each pantheon. * Greyhawk. Erythnul, Iuz, Tharizdun, Vecna. * Dragonlance. Chemosh, Sargonnas. * Eberron. The Fury, the Keeper, the Mockery, the Shadow, the Traveler. * Celtic. Math Mathonwy, Morrigan. * Greek. Ares, Hecate. * Egyptian. Apep, Set. * Norse. Hel, Loki. Structured Society Calm long-view schemers, innate deceivers, and immune to poison—yuan-ti make perfect courtiers. And, worse for the rest of us, rulers. —Elminster The goal of every yuan-ti is to transform itself into the ideal combination of snake and humanoid. This attitude is reflected in yuan-ti society by a caste system, with status predicated on where a particular form of yuan-ti lies along the Ladder of transformation. The basic form of yuan-ti society is a pyramid with abominations at the top, malisons in the middle level, and purebloods at the base. The outliers are the anathemas, the most powerful yuan-ti of all, and two castes that lie beneath all yuan-ti: broodguards and slaves. Statistics for the Yuan-ti Anathema, Yuan-ti Broodguard, and new kinds of Yuan-ti Malison appear in their entries. Two new malison variants are presented in “Yuan-ti Malison Variants: Types 4 and 5.” Yuan-ti Anathemas The exceedingly rare yuan-ti known as anathemas look much like abominations, but larger, with clawed hands, and six snake heads sprouting from where the head should be. Each anathema is the product of a unique ritual that alters its original abomination form, increasing its size, power, and Intelligence. Other yuan-ti treat anathemas like demigods, and they naturally assume a leadership position over all others in the area. An anathema’s aggressive presence brings about a transformation in a yuan-ti city, pushing it to become more warlike and expansionistic. The anathema directs the yuan-ti to wage small-scale wars on humanoids, usually through proxies such as cults and allied creatures, and uses these conflicts to gather riches and slaves until it has enough resources to establish the yuan-ti as the rulers of a region. Yuan-ti Abominations Mostly ophidian, but with humanlike arms that can wield Weapons and use tools, abominations closely resemble the perfect form that the serpent gods envisioned. Absent the presence of an anathema, yuan-ti abominations are the leaders in most yuan-ti cities. Yuan-ti Malisons The various kinds of malisons are imperfect compared to abominations but still a step above humankind in the eyes of the serpent gods. Malisons tend to be receptive to Religion, seeking Insight about how they can improve toward the serpent ideal, and many of them become leaders in the worship of one of the serpent gods. Yuan-ti Malison Variants: Types 4 and 5 A malison is a yuan-ti that has a blend of human and serpentine features. Three different types of malisons are described in the Monster Manual, and two rarer types are described here. Type 4 and type 5 malisons are the lowest-ranking members of the malison caste, and neither type is venomous in its yuan-ti form. For a type 4 or type 5 malison, use the yuan-ti malison stat block in the Monster Manual, but replace the Malison Type trait and the monster’s action options with the following: Malison Type. The yuan‑ti has one of the following types: Type 4: Human form with one or more serpentine tails Type 5: Human form covered in scales Actions for Type 4 or Type 5 Multiattack (Yuan‑ti Form Only). The yuan‑ti makes two Melee Attacks or two Ranged Attacks. Bite (Snake Form Only). Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d4 + 3) piercing damage plus 7 (2d6) poison damage. Scimitar (Yuan‑ti Form Only). Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) slashing damage. Longbow (Yuan‑ti Form Only). Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, range 150/600 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d8 + 2) piercing damage. Yuan-ti Pureblood The most numerous of the yuan-ti, purebloods are also the most humanlike, exhibiting only one or two snakelike features such as slitted pupils or patches of scales on the skin. In yuan-ti cities, purebloods are treated fairly but live in an Environment where their wants and needs are eclipsed by those of the malisons and abominations. Because purebloods can easily pass as human, their most important function is as agents of the yuan-ti in the outside world. They can live incognito among humans as diplomats, infiltrators, and spies. Because they get to wield power and influence while playing such roles, some purebloods surround themselves with luxury in their human guises and then become resentful when they have to return home and live under the caste system again. Yuan-ti Broodguards The devolved creatures known as broodguards are created by feeding humanoids a Special elixir, which gives them scaly skin and a Compulsion to follow orders. Because their minds are crippled by their transformation, broodguards are less useful than slaves for many tasks, but because of their unwavering loyalty they make capable guardians for yuan-ti eggs. Broodguards are technically slaves, but because of their loyalty and the expense of the potion that creates them, they have slightly higher status than Common slaves—meaning that a pureblood is more likely to give a suicidal order to a slave than to a broodguard. Slaves Every yuan-ti settlement has a number of other creatures under its control, including intelligent humanoids, Charmed or trained Beasts, and even Undead or conjured minions. Regardless of their Nature, all are treated as slaves: no creature that is not a yuan-ti is fit for anything other than menial labor and subservience. Slaves that fail to follow orders or lag in their duties are dispatched or turned into broodguards. Emotionless Evil From Calimshan and the Lake of Steam out along the trade routes to cross the world, yuan-ti Poisons and potent liquors are covertly sold. Beware! Some of the latter slowly and subtly bring imbibers under the sway of the next pureblood serpent-spy or yuan-ti malison to meet with them unlooked-for. —Elminster During their ascension ages ago, the yuan-ti freed themselves from the yoke of their human emotions. Now they view the world from a pragmatic and dispassionate perspective. They understand emotional connections in a detached, intellectual way, and recognize that these feelings in others can be exploited through bribes, favors, or threats. As creatures devoid of emotion, yuan-ti exhibit behavior and use Tactics that exemplify that outlook (or lack of one). Whether in Combat or in daily life, the following principles guide the yuan-ti in all they do. Other Lives Are Cheap Yuan-ti put little value on humanoid lives, even those of their own slaves and Cultists. They would poison children to carry out a threat against their Parents, or turn one person into a broodguard in order to show her family the consequence of Resistance. They might refrain from provoking others’ feelings if doing so could adversely affect the yuan-ti’s plans, but they understand humanoid psychology well enough to know that they can get away with this casual disregard for life almost anytime. Furthermore, in the yuan-ti caste system, a greater yuan-ti’s life is worth far more than a lesser one’s. Weaker citizens are expected to lay down their lives to protect their betters. Leaders rely on this zealotry in their plans, and although they don’t needlessly waste the lives of purebloods on futile Actions, most strategies include a fallback option in which mobs of purebloods and slaves are Thrown at opposing forces in the hope of allowing the malisons and abominations time to escape. Survival First Yuan-ti are likely to retreat or flee from Conflict if they don’t believe they have a reasonable chance of success. This Reaction isn’t out of cowardice, but practicality—yuan-ti value their own lives much too highly to risk them when the odds aren’t in their favor. A short retreat might be just the thing to reach a better tactical position, find allies, or to allow the yuan-ti the opportunity to study their opponents and implement better Tactics. Any enemy who chases a group of fleeing yuan-ti might be on the victorious side of a rout or could be heading into a trap; if the enemy has been encountered before, it is likely that the yuan-ti have prepared a Special Ambush at the end of the pursuit. Capture, Not Kill The objective of the yuan-ti as a race is to conquer and enslave others; they don’t espouse the sort of evil that calls for them to butcher or eradicate all who oppose them. In keeping with their goal of domination, the yuan-ti would rather capture potentially useful opponents than kill them. They use many methods for capturing enemies, such as poisoning, knocking out an opponent instead of making a killing blow, throwing nets, using magic such as Suggestion, or restraining them in the coils of a giant snake. To force their compliance, enemies might be brainwashed, Charmed, tortured, or transformed into broodguards. Those that prove intractable still have their uses, either as sacrifices to the gods or as food. Depend on Deceit Yuan-ti have no sense of honorable Combat. They are naturally stealthy, and if they can sneak up on enemies, either in an Ambush or to murder them in their sleep, the yuan-ti will do so—and they actually prefer these Tactics to open warfare. Because abominations and malisons can change into the shapes of snakes, they can keep their presence hidden and get into places their normal forms couldn’t enter. Their immunity to poison gives all yuan-ti a tactical advantage in dealing with other creatures. A pureblood serving as a food taster for a royal family could poison a meal and declare it “safe” after taking a bite. Serpent Cults Some humans believe that not only are the yuan-ti superior to humans and worthy of emulation, but they are also the blessed emissaries of the serpent gods. From these entwined beliefs are born the serpent cults, groups of devout mortals who serve the yuan-ti either directly or in foreign outposts. Fanatical in their Ideals, these Cultists are willing to die for the yuan-ti and their gods, whether from an enemy’s weapon or at the point of a sacrificial knife. The yuan-ti use the cults devoted to them as a steady supply of willing minions and sycophants. Many yuan-ti establish or encourage cults to gather the Special herbs and magic they need to perform the ritual for evolving into a more powerful form. And just as the yuan-ti have Rituals to transform their own bodies, they have a ritual that can change a human into a pureblood. They sometimes use the promise of this ritual as an enticement for power-hungry followers or a reward for their most devoted Cultists. In civilized society, Cultists ingratiate themselves into the local populace, usually by promising perfection of the flesh (sometimes including the Healing of afflictions), freedom from the ideas of sin and guilt, and hedonistic delights to those who join the cult. The leader of a cult is usually advised by a pureblood that relays orders and information between the cult and a yuan-ti city. Physical Variations There are legends of certain yuan-ti infiltrating human cities and forming deadly covert societies that sell drugs and spell scrolls, blackmail merchants, and influence kings. But lacking any proof, I can’t believe such tales. —Volo Ye should. —Elminster No two yuan-ti look exactly the same. Both the snakelike and the humanlike portions of a yuan-ti’s anatomy exhibit a wide variety of shapes and colorations. Because a yuan-ti’s appearance is mostly inherited, in small settlements all the yuan-ti look somewhat alike, while larger settlements see more intermixing, which produces a wider range of results. Sub Types * Remorhazes Monsters Abominable Yeti Androsphinx Ankheg Astral Dreadnought Banderhobb Basilisk Behir Bulette Carrion Crawler Catoblepas Cave Fisher Chimera Chitine Choldrith Cockatrice Darkmantle Death Dog Displacer Beast Doppelganger Drider Ettercap Froghemoth Giant Strider Girallon Gorgon Grick Grick Alpha Griffon Guardian Naga Gynosphinx Harpy Hippogriff Hook Horror Hydra Kraken Lamia Leucrotta Manticore Medusa Merrow Mimic Minotaur Owlbear Peryton Phase Spider Piercer Purple Worm Remorhaz Roc Roper Rust Monster Shadow Mastiff Spirit Naga Tarrasque Tlincalli Trapper Umber Hulk Winter Wolf Worg Yeti Young Remorhaz Yuan-ti Abomination Yuan-ti Anathema Yuan-ti Malison Yuan-ti Mind Whisperer Yuan-ti Nightmare Speaker Yuan-ti Pit Master Category:Monster Category:Lore Category:Monstrosities